Chinese Stuntman falls to his death while trying to do pull-ups on a skyscraper (Photos)

26-year-old, Wu Yongning, fell to his death, from a skyscraper in a daring $15,100 challenge as he sought to use his fame to help lift his family out of poverty, media reported. The stuntman, who had about one million followers on the Chinese internet, fell from the summit of the 62-storey Huayuan Hua Centre in the central city of Changsha, as he attempted to scoop 100,000 yuan ($15,100) for a clip promoting an unnamed sponsor, reports say. Wu was well known for his fearless stunts, scaling towering skyscrapers without any safety equipment whatsoever.

According to reports from Yahoo, he has over 300 videos of him, tip-toeing on scaffolding, or doing stunts, pull-ups as he hung from the side of huge buildings and they were all shared by his fans who loved him. However, his account on Sina Weibo, China’s version of Twitter, went silent around a month ago after he purportedly attempted the Changsha skyscraper. And last Friday his girlfriend wrote online: “Today is December 8th. It makes me think of November 8th, the day you left us and left this world.”

The Changsha Evening News said Mr Wu was seeking to make money for his poverty-striken family and pay medical costs for his mother, who suffers from a mental condition. Local officials said authorities would support his family following the accident. Police confirmed that Mr Wu died when he fell from the Huayuan Hua Centre on November 8, reports said.